1868.] JV. W. Himalaya. 9 



Taraxacum officinale, Convolvulus arvensis, Euphrasia officinalis, Epilobiiim 

 roeewm and amgusUfoHvm, Polemowvum ccericleum, Thlaspi arvense and several 

 others, characterising the flora as one of a temperate climate. The peculiar 

 species of the avi-fauna of the province Kunawar are Qyornis ruficavda, Fregilus 

 Himalayamus, Emberiza Stewarti, Metopomda pwsiZto, Silta leucopsis, Ruticilla 

 ucapilla, Sylviparus modestus, Alsocomus Hodgsorwi, and many others 

 which are during the summer very rarely, or almost never, to be observed 

 to the west of the Wangtu bridge, or on elevations below 8,000 feet. On the 

 other hand occur, in almost immediate association with the former, species like 

 the purple-tailed lloneysucker, Aethopyg ■■, Dicrwrus /<< 



vrwis schisticeps, and others which are usually met with only lower 

 down ; they appear to have been so far acclimatized, that they are found 

 breeding even on these high elevations between 9 and 10,000 feet, still 

 they are now comparatively rare birds. A large number are migratory, and in 

 winter make room for others which arrive from Tibet and Central Asia; these 

 latter species chiefly belong to the Fi;im,ii,i,ii) i:, Al Afninr. and CoRVTDJE, 

 riiAsiAxNin.i;, PiciDuE, and a few Hai-tokks are not migratory, but they are 

 numerically not so much represented as the others. 



The next province on the western frontier of Kunawar is Bissahir, adjacent to 

 which are the hill states about Simla and the southern portions of Kulu. 

 When wo proceed from the Wangtu bridge clown the valley, we already find 

 ourselves on the southern declivities of the great barrier between the 

 Tibetan and the Indian climate. The rainy season sots in here with full 

 force towards the end of June, and lasts till the end of September. Tho 

 vegetation on suitable localities and on moderate elevations is luxuriant 

 especially at this time of the year ; it has much admixture of the Indian 

 subtropical types and also a great number of plants identical with those of 

 India in general. 



The fauna of these more western portions of tho Sutlej valley can be viewed 

 under two somewhat different sections ; namely that of the greater elevations 

 between 12,000 and about 6,000 feet, and that of the lesser elevation 4000 or 

 5,000 down to about 1,000 feet. 



The former section includes some of the largest forests of tho Himalayan 

 Cedar, especially in tho neighbourhood of Nachar, stretching on one side into the 

 Wangur— and Baspa— valleys, and on the other, along the tops of the hills, 

 to almost the immediate vicinity of Simla. About Gaora and Serahan,— 

 between 7 and 9,000 feet— some of the finest specimens of the Ulmus H-ima* 

 layensis, Pavia mdica, Juglans regia, mulberry and other trees occur, and 

 besides a thick vegetation of low forests and brush-woods. There exists on 

 these moderate elevations a particularly mild climate ; the supply of water is 

 abundant during the whole year, and some of the places best adapted for 

 cultivations of grain &c. are to be found here 5 the population is, therefore, 



2 



